Why should religion have any influence on our lives?

[Michael B]

That's probably true. I wasn't speaking about respecting a person's faith. I was only speaking about learning of religious history, tradition, rules, practices, etc., which I suspect an atheist is more likely to properly analyse in the broader spectrum of human experiences, alongside Catholicism, whereas a Catholic is apt to esteem those faiths in lieu of Church dogma.

Certainly we'll all analyse things differently from our different perspectives. I think that's something that just has to be accepted, but also be aware of. The atheist is as biased as the Catholic, when it comes to looking at Hinduism. Or the Catholic is as biased as the atheist, if you prefer.

I think a sign of mature thinking is when we can recognise and acknowledge our own presuppositions. When I was younger I tended to think only other people had bias